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Bilateral Non-arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in a Transsexual Woman Using Excessive Estrogen Dosage

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Abstract

We present a case report on a 53-year-old transsexual woman who developed acute painless vision loss in both eyes during cross-sex hormone treatment. After 10 months of cross-sex hormone treatment, she experienced total vision loss of the right eye and, 6 months later, vision loss to 20/63 in the left eye. After a full ophthalmic exam, bilateral sequential non-arteritic ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-ION) was diagnosed. Extensive etiological work-up revealed no cardiac abnormalities or inherited blood-clotting disorders. A manifest self-administered overdose of transdermal estrogen treatment with serum estradiol levels of 5,765 pg/ml was possibly related to the sequential bilateral NA-ION resulting in nearly total vision loss in this transsexual woman.

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Acknowledgments

K. W. is funded by the Special Research Fund of Ghent University (01D20711).

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Correspondence to Katrien Wierckx.

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Wierckx, K., De Zaeytijd, J., Elaut, E. et al. Bilateral Non-arteritic Ischemic Optic Neuropathy in a Transsexual Woman Using Excessive Estrogen Dosage. Arch Sex Behav 43, 407–409 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0187-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0187-9

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